Let's TALK ABOUT Superheroes/superheroines

Comments

Speaking of escapism, I hate how some comics can be so downright corny. Things like breaking the 4th wall (She-Hulk, Deadpool), the Super-Hero themselves having comics printed after them with the same exact covers in RL (She-Hulk), A hero knowing his history has been changed and when the writer fills in the gap so does his memories (Supreme) or even when a villian reads a comic that takes place in the mainstream universe just to see what happens next (Superboy-Prime)...

I'm sorry...But that is SO ANNOYING!! I read comics for the escapism, for the story, to momentarily travel to that world in my mind NOT to have this unrealistic crap that takes me right out of the comic. Tis why I have stayed very far from She-Hulk's first solo title and from Deadpool.

Thankfully, those kinds of stories are not very often (with Deadpool as an exception).

And now that we're at it, here's the muscle lycan pic I put up which I fancied might look like you. And no, I didn't name him 'Jacob'.

I also came across this animated pic of a truly fearsome hero here recently. He's so powerful he doesn't have to use any fancy powers or even lift a finger to deal with the bad guys (and gals); all he has to do is stand there and they'll be so horrified at the sight of him that they'll all either faint on the spot or willingly turn themselves in. I think he doesn't have a name yet, though. Any suggestions?

Speaking of escapism, I hate how some comics can be so downright corny. Things like breaking the 4th wall (She-Hulk, Deadpool), the Super-Hero themselves having comics printed after them with the same exact covers in RL (She-Hulk), A hero knowing his history has been changed and when the writer fills in the gap so does his memories (Supreme) or even when a villian reads a comic that takes place in the mainstream universe just to see what happens next (Superboy-Prime)...

Dunno... Some of the things you described actually seem quite funny to me -- and I always love a hearty dash of humor in the comics/cartoons/etc that I read or watch. I've come across a couple episodes in the (early) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series in which the Turtles or the villains pull some dangerous stunt and halfway through it they turn to you (the viewer) and say: Remember, kids! We're trained professionals. So don't try this yourselves! :lol:

Pay a regular visit to the gym and you can eventually have a bod like that. It's not THAT difficult, believe me. (I already have a reasonably visible six-pack and fairly prominent pectorals, and I'm 49.) You'll have to do and eat the right things of course, though. I can offer a few useful hints if you're seriously interested, but I can't guarantee anything on sprouting a couple fangs. :-)

Recently spotted Knight22179 fighting Venom, by the way. She was such a great fighter! I quickly took a shot of them both. Here it is! :lol:

I work out 3 times a week. Right now I have the 2nd stage of a bad cold so no gym for me today. Perhaps on Wednesday. I have bad shoulder joints so I can't lift what i used to be able to lift but glad to still look better than allot of guys my own age. Plus I have those amazing genetics that have me looking ALLOT younger than I really am.

This was taken about 3 years ago but my body and face are about the same. I have a bit more gray now as it's starting to really come in but the face is holding up pretty well. Belly IS going down since starting at Crunch gym but it will take a little while longer. When the cold is gone or under control I'll hit the gym and get back to work. I just don't want a relapse this early in the season!

I work out 3 times a week. Right now I have the 2nd stage of a bad cold so no gym for me today. Perhaps on Wednesday. I have bad shoulder joints so I can't lift what i used to be able to lift but glad to still look better than allot of guys my own age. Plus I have those amazing genetics that have me looking ALLOT younger than I really am.

This was taken about 3 years ago but my body and face are about the same. I have a bit more gray now as it's starting to really come in but the face is holding up pretty well. Belly IS going down since starting at Crunch gym but it will take a little while longer. When the cold is gone or under control I'll hit the gym and get back to work. I just don't want a relapse this early in the season!

For some reason I haven't been getting any email notifications about this thread, and I've been too busy to peruse the forums much. We'll see if I get any later.

Just to keep this on topic, I got a copy of The Avengers for my birthday; I'm going to watch it while I do laundry (my wife won't come down here into Tarterus (my basement), so this is where I have my studio; right next to the bathroom and washing machine).

Sorry to learn about your cold. Hope you get well soon. It might be a good idea to give yourself plenty of rest, vitamin C, water and fresh fruit and vegetables.

Hey, your figure's actually pretty good, especially for someone your age! Who says (with more effort) you can't be as well-built as the figure I drew? ;-)

You might like to try out some metabolic resistance training, by the way. It's a special form of training that's supposed to really help beef you up while also burning all the lard away. Check this out to find out more if it should merit your interest!

Dunno if anyone's still into table-top role-playing games these days, but in case any of you are this might interest you. It's a game called Superworld which enables you to role-play your favorite hero or even design a new one of your own with all sorts of exotic powers (plus weaknesses). Always love to play this game with my students when giving English tuition. I remember when I first came across the rule books of this game I was so enthralled I couldn't put the books down for many days. (NOTE: I'm NOT trying to sell anything here! :roll: )

Looked over the link, thanks by the way, I shop there all the time! I'm not sure if this is good for my body. If I go all balls to the walls I loose too much weight. I'm HIV POZ so I have to be very careful and balance my exercise ... to much excess and my body goes into a wasting syndrome that I've been dealing with for years now... tricky!

It seems that the premise behind most comic-heroes is the Nietzschian "Ubermensch" who, being by whatever means above and beyond the mere existence of ordinary mortals, is also above and beyond their laws (like modesty, curfew, vehicle speed limits, assault-and-battery, vigilantism, gravity, thermodynamics, conservation of energy). Being and preferring to emulate law-abiding moral citizens (as others have commented), I consider that the only right justification for breaking/defying the laws is if the laws themselves are immoral. So my own "ideal" superhero arrangement would be Good Guys vs. Anarchists vs. Tyranny. And in any battle, our heroes may be joined by one hostile faction or the other, depending on the issue at hand, or find themselves in a Battle Royale. Or watch from the bleachers....

Like: Noble characters who don't compromise. Not angsty-wangsties or sermarionettes, but people with fixed moral standards that force them to make legitimately difficult choices. Well-written storylines. Believable costumes: think Rorschach from Watchmen rather than the Star Sapphires. Objective morality applied to heroes as well as villains. Characters who take their faith seriously (Ben Grimm as a rabbi, Kurt's Catholicism in the Nightcrawler's better storylines) without being caricatures.

I loved it in the theater; it's nice to be able to watch it when I want now. But I still haven't gotten to watch the dvd; I've had a render going most of the day, and it's using enough cpu cycles that disc playback stutters too much to enjoy the movie. I'll have to try again tomorrow evening.

Dunno if anyone's still into table-top role-playing games these days, but in case any of you are this might interest you. It's a game called Superworld which enables you to role-play your favorite hero or even design a new one of your own with all sorts of exotic powers (plus weaknesses). Always love to play this game with my students when giving English tuition. I remember when I first came across the rule books of this game I was so enthralled I couldn't put the books down for many days. (NOTE: I'm NOT trying to sell anything here! :roll: )

I remember seeing it in an ad in Dragon Magazine back in the early eighties; I never tried it though. I remember when GURPS Wild Cards was released, George R. R. Martin mentioning that someone had given him the game, and he and a bunch of other authors had started playing. He said that he was playing so much, he realized he needed to get back to work to bring money in, and the Wild Cards series was born, based on some of their Superworld games.

The first superhero rpg I remember getting was called Superhero 2020. I don't think it ever became immensely popular, but it was one of the first; maybe even the first superhero rpg. I still have it amongst my other games.

Tried doing an online search on 'Superhero 2020'. Didn't seem to find anything. Perhaps it's gone out of print, which would be a pity. Does it have a whole list of powers for you to pick from as you design your hero/ine character?

Some of the weaknesses listed in Superworld which you can assign to your heroes/heroines are just hilarious, by the way. (In Superworld you roll the seven statistics for your hero/ine [strength, dexterity etc], and their sum total forms a pool of points which your hero/ine uses to buy powers and skills, but if s/he runs out of points, s/he can get more points by accepting various weaknesses.) How about 'Bad Habit'? Your hero/ine can have 'nail chewing' or 'nose picking' for 1 point each. S/he can also accept a 'phobia' for 5 points. Oughta be fun having a hero as majestic as Thor who scratches his armpits and is terrified of roaches. :lol:

As for watching a DVD with your system while it's also doing a rendering, all I'd say is: just make sure your system's up to it!

Sorry to learn about your medical condition. Have you heard about photoluminescent therapy? It's a special form of medical therapy yet to be fully accepted by the medical establishment, where a small sample of the patient's blood is irradiated with UV light and then re-introduced into his/her bloodstream. (A more modern variant of this therapy dispenses with the blood extraction and just involves shining the UV light under the tongue with a handheld device.) It's been claimed to have cured all sorts of medical conditions, including HIV. Here's a website where you can find out more. They even provide a list of practitioners around the US using this form of therapy. The list can be found here (you'll need to scroll quite far down the page). Give it a try -- it might help.

Wonder if there're any heroes with light-based powers who furthermore have healing abilities? I once went through a superhero role-playing game with a student who designed precisely such a hero. :)

It seems that the premise behind most comic-heroes is the Nietzschian "Ubermensch" who, being by whatever means above and beyond the mere existence of ordinary mortals, is also above and beyond their laws (like modesty, curfew, vehicle speed limits, assault-and-battery, vigilantism, gravity, thermodynamics, conservation of energy). Being and preferring to emulate law-abiding moral citizens (as others have commented), I consider that the only right justification for breaking/defying the laws is if the laws themselves are immoral. So my own "ideal" superhero arrangement would be Good Guys vs. Anarchists vs. Tyranny. And in any battle, our heroes may be joined by one hostile faction or the other, depending on the issue at hand, or find themselves in a Battle Royale. Or watch from the bleachers....

Like: Noble characters who don't compromise. Not angsty-wangsties or sermarionettes, but people with fixed moral standards that force them to make legitimately difficult choices. Well-written storylines. Believable costumes: think Rorschach from Watchmen rather than the Star Sapphires. Objective morality applied to heroes as well as villains. Characters who take their faith seriously (Ben Grimm as a rabbi, Kurt's Catholicism in the Nightcrawler's better storylines) without being caricatures.

Dreams: No. Just the usual stuff about being naked in public or driving cars through Möibic buildings.

* portmanteau of "Sermonette" and "Marionette"

VERY substantial post you've got there. Eustace!

Not quite sure how valid it is to spot Nietzsche's influence in the concept behind most comic heroes. For Nietzsche (as far as I understand him) there is no such thing as a nonarbitrary body of moral values i.e. a body of moral values not based on our 'tastes' and personal preferences. Many if not most comic heroes would slap a cream pie into Nietzsche's face in this respect, because they do profess a moral code which they don't consider something arbitrary at all -- and share such a code. The name 'Justice League ' says it all. I'm not denying that there are comic heroes (?) around who are morally lax, only that they seem a minority AFAIK.

On the other hand, I do think being too morally inflexible could sometimes be a problem. When a hero/ine is as merciless towards the Joker as towards a street thug who happened to be born into a dysfunctional family, couldn't find a job for years and had four kids to take care of, I'm really not sure if I'd view this hero/ine as a shining example of justice and moral rectitude.

I do hate ad hoc responses to various predicaments faced by heroes/heroines as well. It just feels like cheating. Having an unheard-of-so-far-in-the-story character or creature suddenly appear to save the day (if that's an example of what you meant) does kind of spoil it all for me.

As for omniglottalism (shouldn't it be 'omniglossy'?), a SF writer once imagined a race of aliens who communicated not with sound, but light; they had special organs on their bodies with which they emitted light, the color, brightness etc of which they could control for the purpose of expressing all sorts of ideas and feelings. Would your omniglottalism extend to these beings? :) I leave it to your imagination what sort of books they would have, by the way.

Finally, having a beautifully muscled body like Michael 5 and flaunting it by going about near-naked in public (but not fully naked of course %-P ) is certainly a fantasy of mine!

Thanks very much for your nice words and links. I've got a friend who's best friend may not be around too much longer so I'll send him this link. When your up against the wall with frustration you often times find the very thing that can help you even if it's "odd" to most. I use Colloidal Silver and MMS (which the FDA is trying to ban here in the USA for the very fact that it WORKS... you take money away from Big Pharma they will find a way to shut you down... it's unfortunate but it SEEMS to be the case)

There is Doctor Light, the female version. She is a real doctor in the comic books or some sort of a scientist. She made her first appearance back in Crisis books a long time ago iirc! http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Doctor_Light

I work out 3 times a week. Right now I have the 2nd stage of a bad cold so no gym for me today. Perhaps on Wednesday. I have bad shoulder joints so I can't lift what i used to be able to lift but glad to still look better than allot of guys my own age. Plus I have those amazing genetics that have me looking ALLOT younger than I really am.

This was taken about 3 years ago but my body and face are about the same. I have a bit more gray now as it's starting to really come in but the face is holding up pretty well. Belly IS going down since starting at Crunch gym but it will take a little while longer. When the cold is gone or under control I'll hit the gym and get back to work. I just don't want a relapse this early in the season!

Glad I've been of some help. it's very sad that even things like important discoveries in healthcare should be subjected to the dictates of big business. So much for all that BS on the power of the invisible hand of the free market. Pity that there are no superheroes in real life who can right such wrongs...

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but DC Universe Online is free for PS3 and PC - the basic game allows you to make two characters and you can customize them into your own creation. I've seen people make really cool looking characters... but I've also seen established character knock offs...

You need a beast of a PC to play it, but the PS3 version suits me just fine.

I work out 3 times a week. Right now I have the 2nd stage of a bad cold so no gym for me today. Perhaps on Wednesday. I have bad shoulder joints so I can't lift what i used to be able to lift but glad to still look better than allot of guys my own age. Plus I have those amazing genetics that have me looking ALLOT younger than I really am.

This was taken about 3 years ago but my body and face are about the same. I have a bit more gray now as it's starting to really come in but the face is holding up pretty well. Belly IS going down since starting at Crunch gym but it will take a little while longer. When the cold is gone or under control I'll hit the gym and get back to work. I just don't want a relapse this early in the season!

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but DC Universe Online is free for PS3 and PC - the basic game allows you to make two characters and you can customize them into your own creation. I've seen people make really cool looking characters... but I've also seen established character knock offs...

You need a beast of a PC to play it, but the PS3 version suits me just fine.

Tried this when it first came out on PS3 for my first free month. I was having a blast until I hit the level cap. Then single player missions were no longer available. Just group events of this or that. And then I very quickly lost interest, quit playing and sold it.

Tried doing an online search on 'Superhero 2020'. Didn't seem to find anything. Perhaps it's gone out of print, which would be a pity. Does it have a whole list of powers for you to pick from as you design your hero/ine character?

Some of the weaknesses listed in Superworld which you can assign to your heroes/heroines are just hilarious, by the way. (In Superworld you roll the seven statistics for your hero/ine [strength, dexterity etc], and their sum total forms a pool of points which your hero/ine uses to buy powers and skills, but if s/he runs out of points, s/he can get more points by accepting various weaknesses.) How about 'Bad Habit'? Your hero/ine can have 'nail chewing' or 'nose picking' for 1 point each. S/he can also accept a 'phobia' for 5 points. Oughta be fun having a hero as majestic as Thor who scratches his armpits and is terrified of roaches. :lol:

As for watching a DVD with your system while it's also doing a rendering, all I'd say is: just make sure your system's up to it!

The game didn't have a real list of powers. It left pretty much everything to be worked out between the gm and the player. Unlike some games, it didn't suffer from too many rules, but from too few. If you can find a copy, it might be worth picking up for the novelty, but it really wasn't much fun to play.

Champions was the first super rpg I liked. It has a point system for buying powers, as well as enhancements (increased cost) and limitations (reduced cost). It is pretty good for crafting unique variations on standard powers.

Finding time to coordinate schedules with my other gaming friends has been a problem of late, so I've been playing DCUO when I have a few hours free. Not that I have that much free time, but sometimes I just need to sit down and do some mindless villain pounding.